


Hand x In x Hand

by IrinyaClockworker



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Twins, Canon Trans Character, Gen, M/M, Major Illness, brief mentions of the Nostrades, brief mentions of the adult Zoldycks, the kids are SLIGHTLY aged up (above 13 for reasons of my own personal comfort)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrinyaClockworker/pseuds/IrinyaClockworker
Summary: During a performance, Kurapika thinks about the people in his life, and Leorio remembers how all of this started.
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight & Alluka Zoldyck & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck (minor), Killua Zoldyck & Alluka Zoldyck & Nanika & Kalluto Zoldyck, Kurapika & Alluka Zoldyck & Nanika, Kurapika & Pairo (Hunter X Hunter), Kurapika & Senritsu | Melody (Hunter X Hunter), Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight, Nanika & Alluka Zoldyck
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Hand x In x Hand

The air is practically buzzing with anticipation; both theirs and the crowd’s. The small group is still hanging out backstage, putting a few final touches on. Nanika—or is that Alluka?—is fussing with the pale moon clip in Kalluto’s hair, while Alluka—or is that Nanika?—is fiddling with Killua’s jacket. Kurapika doesn’t have much to do—he double checks to make sure he’s got his earrings and that his makeup is all in place, and then shrugs on his own jacket.

“Wait!” one of the twins says urgently, and runs over to him. “Here.” She shoves a small, beaded bracelet into his hands, and he can’t help but smile as he recognizes the colors—blue, pink, and white. 

“Is this for me?” he asks, though he already knows the answer.

“Yeah!” She grins. “I made it myself!”

“It’s beautiful.” He reaches out and ruffles her hair a little, and she laughs. “You did a good job. Thank you.” He slides it on his wrist—it’s not like anyone is going to notice, sadly, but it’s a heartfelt gift and he’ll gladly take it.

“Five minutes,” Leorio calls, and Kurapika just nods.

“Everyone ready?”

Gon and the twins practically shout their agreement. Killua shrugs, which, coming from him, is an enthusiastic ‘yes’, and Kalluto nods solemnly. They still haven’t fully relaxed around the rest of their eclectic little group, but it’ll come in time. It took Nanika a while, too, and while she still can’t speak well in public, she chatters away in private, fully comfortable here.

Kurapika smiles, feels the bracelet around his wrist, and knows they’re going to do great.

Some groups might introduce themselves— _Hello, Yorknew City! Are you ready for us?_ —but Kurapika’s never had a taste for that. Better to just start right away.

The lights are down when they enter, but they all already know where they’re supposed to be. Gon practically runs to the drum set like he always does, Killua picks up his guitar, Alluka and Nanika sit down together at the keyboard, and Kurapika, as usual, is center stage. For this particular performance, Kalluto is helping out on guitar as well—it’s not their forte, but Kurapika knows they’ve been working hard with Killua to get it all down. They all have. If there’s one thing they have going for them, it’s music.

Gon strikes up a beat, Kalluto joins in clapping, and Killua starts playing, lights coming up over each of them in turn, each tinted with a color chosen specifically for them. The twins play a few chords, basking in their own pale pink light, and then it’s time for Kurapika to join in.

 _“With my eyes closed,”_ he starts, and it feels like everything fades around him. Yes. This is his favorite place in the world—caught up entirely in the music his friends have created for him. 

_“I'm looking that way  
From my fingertip to where I point  
That song that I hum every single day  
That keeps moving_

_Yeah  
Hand in hand, the hand you extend to me  
Though I may not know whose it might be  
Hand in hand, the hand that I hold closely  
Surely, surely  
Will meet the future”_

—

It starts at a small coffee shop—something about a penny, if Leorio remembers it correctly later on. To be honest, the place itself is entirely forgettable—well, that’s not quite true. It’s memorable, if only because of how _bad_ it is. The coffee itself is watered down and often burnt, and on several unpleasant occasions Leorio has been horribly surprised by grounds lingering in the bottom of the cup. 

He goes there for one reason and one reason only—every week, they have an open mic night, and every week, the same person shows up to sing.

The first time Leorio sees him, he thinks he’s dreaming, because there’s no way the person in front of him could possibly be real—piercing eyes and wild blond hair, singing a song about lost dreams in a voice that doesn’t even seem humanly possible. 

Leorio puts up with the shitty coffee, just for that voice.

—

_“Please don't start crying just yet  
Since this is something you still don't know  
But, both your words and feelings  
Can seem like invisible things”_

This song is special. Over Kurapika’s head, there’s a screen with pictures flashing through each line—him and the others, smiling, laughing, having fun. He can’t see them, but he’s gone over the sequence so many times that he knows exactly which image goes with each line, and all the memories associated with them. Next comes an image of the band, and then...

_“The person I love, the things that I love  
The places I love that I aim towards  
Are very gently released to above  
Towards tomorrow”_

He’s putting his heart out there, more than he ever has before—because this song is for the people he loves more than anything in the world. More than music itself.

_“Yeah  
Hand in hand, this song you cried out to me  
Will join with the hands of somebody  
Hand in hand, and be wrapped up carefully  
No hesitating”_

—

That singer has a wide range, Leorio finds out the second week. The first song he’d heard was almost—‘bouncy’ isn’t quite the right word, but he’s not sure what is. Strangely upbeat, for its subject matter. Tonight’s song—something about an unknown story, music, and love—is much more smooth and even in comparison, but he’s still captivated, particularly when the words start pouring out at a speed that seems all but impossible, and when that voice pitches to a level beyond what Leorio’s ever heard anyone reach. He wonders if these songs are original. He wonders who this person is. 

When he asks one of the workers, they say that the singer’s name is Kurapika, and he’s been doing this for months now.

 _Kurapika._ It’s a beautiful name, and Leorio files it away into memory. 

—

_“So, come on, now  
Hand in hand, all these strong feelings will be  
Holding someone's shoulder soothingly  
Hand in hand, if you recall this, then we  
Surely, surely  
Will meet the future”_

The third week, Leorio brings his kid brother, Gon.

Well, they’re not really brothers. Leorio’s friends with Gon’s aunt, and his dad ran off, so Leorio’s sort of been filling in as the ‘responsible adult male figure’. For a given definition of ‘responsible adult’. 

Kurapika is singing something about theft and ghosts, and as usual, Leorio is completely lost in it.

 _“Come here—throw me away—stay,”_ Kurapika sings, and turns around and looks back out at the audience, his hair flying back and showing off a dangling red earring. It sparkles in the light, and Leorio’s attention is so caught by it that he almost doesn’t hear Gon talking to him.

“He’s awesome,” Gon says happily. “Like Killua.”

 _Killua…_ “Oh, that Zoldyck kid?” 

“Mhm!” Gon nods.

“How’s he doing, anyway? Family still working him pretty hard?” He doesn’t know much about Killua’s situation, but he’s one of Gon’s friends—a musician himself, like the rest of his family. Leorio tried listening to some of their work after Gon first brought them up, but it’s honestly creepy as hell. And Killua’s no older than Gon—that can’t be a good environment for a kid. 

“He really wants to leave.” _Can’t blame him._ “But if he leaves home, he’s gonna be on his own, and he says he’s got other people he needs to take care of, too, so he can’t.” Gon sighs. “I wanna help, but I don’t know how.”

“There might not be anything you can do.” Leorio hates to admit that, but he’s seen this sort of thing happen before, and no matter how hard he tried, he’s never been able to help.

Gon makes a disconsolate noise.

_If there’s some way…_

—

_“These words which are all mellow  
And, forgotten, all these melodies  
Quickly, before I had known  
Had brought all these smiles on their own”_

They’re all smiling, and Kurapika feels more like himself than he ever does off stage. No matter how many times he does this, it never gets old—reaching out, singing with all his heart, hearing people singing along, knowing these words mean as much to them as they do to him. No empty words for him, no meaningless songs—the idea of singing words with no meaning almost hurts. What is music for if not another way of speaking, communicating in a way simple speech can’t? He’s never understood how others can treat it as anything else.

_“With that voice of yours, that finger of yours  
With that heart of yours, which you describe  
The beauty you hold will spread as it soars  
Towards tomorrow”_

—

The fourth week Leorio’s on his own again—Gon’s got some project he’s been working on that he won’t say a word about, so he’s been spending a lot more time by himself. Leorio would be more worried if not for the grin that shows up whenever it’s mentioned.

The fourth week is bad.

Kurapika sings beautifully as usual, something about what-ifs and loneliness, but instead of sneaking out shortly afterwards, as is his usual routine—which Leorio definitely does _not_ pay more attention to than is probably reasonable—he leans against a wall, checks his phone, and then—his face goes pale, he orders something with a shaking voice, and then slumps into a seat, pressing his face into his hands.

Judging from the way he’s shaking, he’s either crying or on the verge of it, and though they don’t know each other at all, Leorio can’t stand the idea of just leaving him to it.

So he takes his own coffee and sits down, carefully, across from the singer.

“Are you okay?”

Kurapika flinches, and looks up—his eyes are red like he’s about to cry, and he’s clearly fighting to put a smile on. “Fine. Just fine.”

“You’re lying,” Leorio responds bluntly, and Kurapika huffs out a humorless laugh.

“That obvious, huh?”

“...Want to talk about it?”

“I don’t even know you.” Kurapika’s expression is guarded now. “Why do you care?”

“Aspiring doctor,” Leorio replies. “Leaving people who are in pain isn’t exactly my style.”

“...A doctor, huh?” Kurapika’s eyes soften a little. 

“Well, only a med student for now…”

“My best friend is dying.” The words are abrupt—he’s saying it before he loses his nerve. “I can’t afford to pay for his treatment. I’ve been coming here—to lots of places—hoping someone will take notice. I need money and I need it fast. That’s what’s wrong.”

“You don’t have any offers at all?” Leorio’s sure he looks as dumbfounded as he feels. “With your talent—”

“I do.” Kurapika closes his eyes tightly. “Not ones I’d ever accept under normal circumstances, and he’s told me not to take them a thousand times by now, but I’m… running out of options. I’d hoped I could find someone better, but he’s getting worse, and I don’t have time to hold out anymore.”

“...I see.” He doesn’t know what else to say.

“He’s going to be angry when he finds out,” Kurapika adds, half to himself, “but… I have to try. If he dies and I didn’t do anything—I don’t have the luxury of waiting any longer. He’ll understand, I think.”

And damn it, this is the exact reason Leorio wants to be a doctor. If he was—he could help. He could do something, he could at least try to save Kurapika’s friend, or at the very least make sure his last days are comfortable. He could do that, and Kurapika wouldn’t have to do any of this. But he can’t. He can’t do anything.

But he also can’t just give up on it, either. He may not know Kurapika at all, but he knows how it feels to stand by and watch helplessly as a friend dies. He can’t abandon someone else to that. Not now, not ever.

“Don’t do it.” He says it before he even really thinks.

“Weren’t you listening? I don’t have a choice anymore—”

“I’ll think of something.”

“You still don’t know me. Why even bother?”

“I lost my best friend.”

At that, Kurapika stiffens. “You did?”

“He got sick,” Leorio explains softly. “Really sick. And I didn’t have the money to pay for any treatment at all. He couldn’t even stay in the hospital.” Remembering this hurts—how hard he’d tried just to alleviate some of the pain, and how it had barely worked at all. “I couldn’t help him at all. He—he died, and I couldn’t—” He cuts himself off at that, before he gets too emotional. He has to at least pretend he can help. “That’s why I want to be a doctor. So I can help people like him, or like your friend—so I can tell them they don’t have to pay me anything. If I were a doctor now, I’d be able to do more, but since I can’t… I’ll think of something, so whatever it is you’re thinking about doing, don’t.”

Kurapika’s hands curl into fists. “Who the hell even are you?” It’s clearly not a question meant to be answered, but…

“I’m Leorio. Leorio Paladiknight.”

“...Kurapika. I’d say ‘pleasure to meet you’, but it isn’t.”

_Yeah, that’s understandable._

“Just… hold on a little longer, okay? I’ll come up with something. I promise.”

Kurapika sighs, and for a moment, it seems like he’s going to refuse.

“Fine,” he finally says, and for some reason Leorio can’t fully understand, relief washes over him. “You have until the next time I’m back here. If you don’t have anything by then, I’m going to do things my way.”

“It’s a deal.”

One week, then…

He’d better come up with something good, and he’d better do it fast.

—

_“Yeah  
Hand in hand, the hand you're gripping strongly  
In some place distant from you or me  
Hand in hand, will find someone else, surely  
Who needs their tears dried”_

—

Focusing on classes becomes harder than it’s ever been before, over the next week. He has to think of something—he promised he would. But he can’t. As hard as he tries to think of ways to help, he can’t. Every lead he thinks he finds brings him to another dead end.

He’s dreading seeing Kurapika that day, having to tell him that he failed. And it must show, because Gon asks him about it, and before Leorio really knows what’s happening, the younger boy’s dragged it out of him—and, to Leorio’s surprise, Gon is grinning at him before the story’s over. Does he not get what’s going on?

“I know just what to do,” Gon says brightly, and drags Leorio to his garage.

In that garage is… a drum set?

“I’ve been learning these,” Gon announces, practically glowing. “For Killua!”

“For… Killua?”

“Yeah!” Gon beams. “So he can play music he likes!”

“...You’ve lost me, kid.”

“Kurapika needs people to work with, right? He can work with us!”

“Gon, isn’t that a little farfetched—”

“No!” Gon’s eyes are gleaming. “Killua knows lots of people in ‘the business’—that’s how he says it, it sounds super cool like that, don’t you think?—so he can help get things started! And I talked to Killua, and he can stay with me and Aunt Mito, so Kurapika can have whatever we make to help his friend! It’ll _work,_ Leorio. You’ll see! Just tell him!”

...And it’s not as if Leorio has any better options, so he might as well try.

—

_“So, come on, now  
Hand in hand, all these strong feelings will be  
Holding someone's shoulder soothingly  
Hand in hand, if you recall this, then we  
Surely, surely  
Will meet the future”_

—

Kurapika almost seems back to ‘normal’. He’s singing something bright and bouncy from the sound of it, though upon paying closer attention to the lyrics they’re rather sad—about the stars and a song no one can hear. Yet it’s more personal this time, far more so—he keeps looking directly at Leorio, soft lines about wishes and going to meet someone with no name or face, and at one point reaches out directly towards him. _“Are these sounds reaching you?”_ His voice shakes, almost imperceptibly. _Have you found something?_ is what he’s really asking, isn’t it? 

Leorio really, really hopes he has.

When the song ends, it only takes a minute before Kurapika’s sitting across from him, apprehension painted across his face. 

“What do you have?” 

_Hello to you too._ “Well… you know the Zoldycks?”

“I’m not working with them!” Kurapika looks like he’s been slapped. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“No, I’m not—look, you know that one kid, Killua? He wants out, and you need someone to work with, so...”

“...” Kurapika’s eyes narrow. “Are you suggesting I partner up with him?”

“I mean, it’s an option, right?” Leorio does his best to put on a bright smile. “And there’s one more who could help out—he was here with me the other day. Gon Freecss. This was his idea, actually. He’s a good kid.”

“...I suppose… he’d probably have some connections,” Kurapika muses. “So I could get set up, at least… and anything is better than nothing…”

“Gon and Killua talked it over,” Leorio adds, and feels like the smile is coming a little more naturally. “They’re fine if you take the profits.”

Kurapika’s eyes go wide. “Really? They don’t want any of it?”

“Gon’s living pretty comfortably as is. And Killua’s apparently going to be staying with him, at least for a while, so he doesn’t need it, either. And hey, if you need help with budgeting, I am in medical school.” Leorio grins, a little crooked. “You tend to wind up pretty good at that sort of thing.”

“...You weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to help.”

“No. Did you really think I was?”

“I… wasn’t sure.” Kurapika glances away. “There aren’t a lot of purely generous people.”

“Let me guess. The people who’ve made offers before weren’t?”

“Anything but.” Kurapika smiles, but there’s no humor in it. “Money-grubbing vultures, more often than not… Hell, one of them was contingent entirely on whether or not I’d agree to date the man’s daughter.” A brief look of disgust flashes across his face. “That one was unacceptable for _several_ reasons.”

“What the _fuck?”_

“I’ve had worse.” Maybe it’s selfish to hope Kurapika doesn’t elaborate. But he doesn’t seem to want to, anyway. “Can we not talk about them? If I’m not going to accept any of their offers, I’d prefer to pretend they don’t exist, as much as possible.”

“Yeah, of course…” The more Leorio hears, the more pissed off he gets. _People never change, do they?_ It’s the same thing that happened with Pietro—no one wanted to help unless they got something out of it in exchange. 

Leorio can’t help everyone. Not now, maybe not ever. But he can help Kurapika—or at the very least, he can try. And judging from the way Kurapika’s been responding, that’s more than anyone else has done.

“Kurapika… there is one thing I want.”

“...What?” He’s on guard again, looking at Leorio suspiciously.

“I’d like to know your friend’s name.”

Kurapika’s eyes widen. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“You really are strange.” He looks away. “It’s Pairo. His name… his name is Pairo.”

_Pairo._

“You’re… too kind,” Kurapika adds, sounding like he’s only half directing it at Leorio. “I don’t understand you at all.”

_You should be able to._

“Well, you’ve got time to learn.”

“...I suppose I do.” Kurapika smiles a little, and it seems like there’s a spark of hope in his eyes.

And damn, if Leorio isn’t glad to see that.

—

_“With my eyes closed, I'm looking that way  
From my fingertip to where I point  
That song that I hum every single day  
That keeps moving”_

Kurapika does close his eyes then, because his vision is starting to blur, and his eyes burn. The people on stage with him… They saved him. And most of all, the person watching from behind… 

_You did this for me. Look at what you’ve given me. Listen. This song is for all of you._

—

They meet at Gon’s house, though with two unexpected additions—a pair of young girls, identical twins from the looks of it. 

“My little sisters, Alluka and Nanika,” Killua explains, at which Alluka perks up.

“Hi!” she says cheerfully. “You’re my big brother’s friends, yeah?”

Nanika hides behind Killua, and peers out almost fearfully. 

“It’s okay, Nanika,” Killua says reassuringly. “Nothing’s gonna happen.” He glances up, and there’s a cold look in his eyes for a moment, a clear warning— _if anything **does** happen, you won’t be getting off easy._

Kurapika’s already crouched down to be on eye level with Nanika, and smiles, a gentle expression that transforms his face entirely. “Hello, Nanika.”

Nanika blinks, and whispers, “Hi.”

“My name is Kurapika,” he continues, still keeping that smile and soft tone. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Nanika just nods slightly, and then ducks behind Killua again, at which point Kurapika stands up and turns to Alluka. “And of course, it’s nice to meet you, too, Alluka.”

Alluka beams. “Me and Nanika want to help!”

“They play keyboard,” Killua elaborates. “Normal piano, too.”

“We weren’t allowed to play!” Alluka huffs. “You’ll let us play, right?”

“I don’t see why not,” Kurapika replies, his smile getting a little wider. “I’d love it if the two of you helped out.” At that, Nanika perks up a bit.

“Great. We brought a keyboard from home,” Killua continues, pointing at a long bag Leorio hadn’t noticed yet. “So if we can get that set up with the other equipment, then we’ll be ready to go.”

“We have sheet music too,” Alluka adds. “For practice!”

“Good thinking.” Kurapika ruffles her hair, and she swats at his hand, though the grin on her face belies her actions. 

Gon’s been silent most of this time, much to Leorio’s surprise, but at that, his face splits in a bright grin of his own. “Let’s get started!”

—

_“Yeah  
Hand in hand, the hand you're gripping strongly  
In some place far from you or me  
Hand in hand, will find someone else, surely  
Who needs their tears dried”_

—

The first show is small—it’s the best Killua can manage for a group comprised mostly of unknowns. Honestly, it’s probably only thanks to his influence that they can get one at all. But it seems to be a success—they play well, and from the look on Kurapika’s face after Leorio calculates the profit they made, it’s more than he expected. It isn’t much, but Leorio supposes every little bit would help, in this situation.

The day after, he texts all of them, and asks them to meet him at a nearby hospital.

When they arrive, he’s sitting and holding the hand of a boy who looks like he’s barely there at all. He’s thin and frail, and when he hears them coming, his eyes go somewhere beyond them, like he can’t see them.

“Kurapika, who’s that?” he asks, his voice soft and sounding a little worried. “Who’s there?”

“These are my friends, Pairo.” Kurapika doesn’t turn away from him, but his next words are clearly directed at the others. “Come closer. Let him look at you… One at a time, please.”

Leorio goes first, walking to stand next to Kurapika and letting Pairo’s eyes focus on him. Killua and the twins follow after, and then Gon. 

“They look kind,” Pairo finally says.

“They are.” Kurapika smiles—different from the way he’d smiled at Alluka and Nanika. There’s a wistful sadness to it. He doesn’t think Pairo is going to survive, Leorio realizes. “They helped me. With a little more time… I’ll be able to afford your medicine again, okay? Hold on a little longer, and I’ll have enough.”

“You don’t have to try so hard, Kurapika. I’m happy. I got to be your friend for a long time… I don’t think it’ll be so bad to die, if you promise you won’t leave me alone.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Kurapika’s voice shakes. “You’re not going to die, Pairo. You’re going to be okay. I told you, I’ll be able to get you more medicine soon. You’ll get better after that. You were getting better when you were on it before, so you’ll be fine...”

It doesn’t feel right to be here, not now. Leorio slips out of the room, and the others follow, closing the door quietly and waiting in the hallway. 

“He’s getting worse, isn’t he?” The soft voice makes Leorio jump—when he looks over, there’s someone across from them, a small woman with long gray hair and a kind-looking face. He’s not sure what it is about her, but something about her presence is calming, and he finds himself liking her already.

“Are you a friend of Kurapika’s?”

“I’d like to think so.” She smiles. “My name is Melody.”

“I’m Leorio…” He’s not sure if it’s really his place to answer her question, but she looks genuinely concerned. “I don’t really know. I only just met him today. Pairo, I mean.”

“I see…” She’s no longer smiling. “Kurapika’s heart is worse than ever,” she adds, half to herself. “I hope he’ll be alright.”

“We’re working on it.” Leorio sighs. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Yes, he told me about you. I was there for the performance.” She gestures with her hands, like a conductor directing an orchestra. “It was very good. You work well together, for people who only met recently… I know it means a lot to him that you’re helping, even though you don’t know each other well yet. You have a kind heart, and I’m glad he could find people like you.”

“I wish we could do more…”

“You’ve already done more than most of the people he knows combined. He trusts you, I think.” She tilts her head a little bit. “That’s a rare thing for him.” She perks up a little after that. “Oh, he’s ready for me. I’ll be back soon.”

She disappears into Pairo’s room, and not too long after Leorio hears a sound that is eerily reminiscent of Kurapika when he sings—but it’s not singing, he realizes. It’s a flute, quiet and almost haunting, but as he listens, he feels the tension leaving his body. It seems like it’s having the same effect on the others, as well.

A minute or two after the music stops, the door opens again, and Melody walks back out, followed by Kurapika. His eyes are red from crying, but he looks a little more at peace now. The moment Alluka sees him, she runs over, looking like she’s about to cry, too.

“What _was_ that?” Leorio asks Melody quietly.

“It helps Pairo sleep,” she replies. “Kurapika always asks me to play for him when he visits. I think it takes some of the pain away.”

“...How often does he visit, then?”

“Every day, unless something drastic happens.” She looks deeply saddened. “He’ll sit there for hours if no one convinces him to leave, even after Pairo’s fallen asleep.”

Leorio remembers all too clearly doing that himself. No one else would be there for Pietro, so even if he couldn’t help… he could at least make sure his friend wasn’t suffering alone.

Pairo’s situation reminds him far too much of that time, and seeing what it’s doing to Kurapika…

When Pietro died, it felt like Leorio’s heart had been torn in half. He doesn’t want Kurapika to have to feel like that.

But he won’t have to, Leorio reminds himself. He won’t have to, because they’ll raise enough money to make sure Pairo gets good care, and he’ll get better, like Kurapika said. 

It’s going to be okay. This time, it’s going to be okay.

—

_“So, come on, now  
Hand in hand, this song you cried out to me  
Will join with the hands of somebody  
Hand in hand, and be wrapped up carefully  
No hesitating”_

—

Kurapika’s words come true, or at least, they seem to.

There are scares, several times when Kurapika calls at random times, crying uncontrollably, because he’s afraid for Pairo and can’t be alone. But with a few more shows (with escalating profits), Kurapika is finally able to afford the medicine he needs.

Leorio won’t ever forget the look on his face when he realized. He’d practically glowed with relief and happiness, and, overwhelmed by emotion, had cried almost nonstop for a good while after.

After that, it seems like Pairo stabilizes, and maybe even starts to get better. He recognizes Leorio and the others easily now, and seems to enjoy it when they join Kurapika for one of his daily visits. At some point, Alluka and Nanika somehow acquired an enormous stuffed bear, and it’s become a regular feature in his hospital room. At first Leorio thought he might be a little old for stuffed animals, but he took a liking to it almost immediately, and spent almost five full minutes just petting it and not speaking to anyone, like he was trying to memorize the feel and shape of it.

And as Pairo’s condition improves, so does Kurapika’s—he smiles more easily, even laughs for real sometimes, usually due to Alluka and Nanika. 

Nanika, as well, improves greatly. Her anxiety issues don’t fully go away, and she still can’t bring herself to speak publicly, but in private, she becomes at least as talkative as Killua. She and her sister build a special rapport with Kurapika in particular, and it’s a joy to watch the three of them together, looking like they don’t have a care in the world.

Melody joins their little group—mostly to help out with making sure the music is correct, as it turns out she has an excellent ear for it, but occasionally joining in on her flute.

And finally, there’s Kalluto.

A couple months into the whole thing, Killua shows up with yet another in tow, a small, anxious figure with short dark hair and formal clothing. Kalluto, much like Nanika, starts out silent and nervous around the others, mostly spending time with Killua and the twins and not really speaking to anyone else. Still, Leorio has high hopes. 

The ‘power of friendship’ has always sounded like complete and utter bullshit to him. But all of this… might be enough to convince him otherwise.

This is, without a doubt, the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

And Kurapika in particular… Well, if Leorio happens to have a bit of a thing for him, that’s not really anyone else’s business, now, is it?

(And if Kurapika returns the feeling, that’s not anyone else’s business, either.)

—

_“So, come on, now  
Hand in hand, all these strong feelings will be  
Holding someone's shoulder soothingly  
Hand in hand, if you recall this, then we  
Surely, surely  
Will meet the future”_

And if, as he finishes those words, he turns around to see the people he loves most in the world… if he feels more at peace than he has in a long time, despite the noise and the crowd... well, who could blame him for that?

The audience is going completely wild, but their reaction isn’t the one he really cares about. Pairo’s getting a special broadcast of the show, and Kurapika can’t wait to see him afterwards and hear what he thinks.

After all, Kurapika ended the slideshow of images with a picture of the whole group—and Pairo, sitting happily in the middle. He may not participate in the band itself, but he _is_ the reason it started in the first place. He’s a member just as much as any of the rest of them are.

 _I’ve been blessed,_ Kurapika thinks, almost deliriously happy, _with good friends._

And then the music strikes up again, and he throws himself back into it.

_“Indulging in the mornings and spitting out all the nights—”_

Ah, the audience is excited. That’s right, this is one of their most popular songs, isn’t it? Well, they’ll do fine. Kurapika knows that without a shred of doubt.

As long as they’re all together, there’s no way they could ever fail.

**Author's Note:**

> None of the song lyrics used in this work belong to me. 'Hand in Hand' was written by livetune (kz), 'Ghost Rule' by DECO*27, 'Skeleton Orchestra and Lilia' by Tohma, and, of course, 'Hyori Ittai' by Yuzu.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the fic! Please make sure to check out the fabulous pieces of art created for it:
> 
> https://ladybugboots.tumblr.com/post/629089825191067648/hand-in-hand-the-hand-that-i-hold-closely by @ladybugboots on tumblr, twitter, and instagram  
> https://emittertings.tumblr.com/post/629090918219284480/hand-x-in-x-hand-irinyaclockworker-hunter-x by @emittertings on tumblr


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